


Silver and Steel

by AbleG



Series: The Dragonborn Comes [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: M/M, Violence!, for the honor of the Companions!, other side character mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 06:04:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12315225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbleG/pseuds/AbleG
Summary: Farkas and Aela accompany Ria on a glorious giant hunt just outside of Whiterun. It is at Pelagia Farm that they meet an unnassuming, if not a bit strange, traveler of sorts.





	Silver and Steel

**Author's Note:**

> You know fucking what??? I don't need your sass. I suck at coming up with goddam titles, okay?? And I don't want to sit on a name for this for up to five days. I just want to write. If I come up with a better title later, then maybe I'll fix it. 
> 
> ANYWAY... Yeah. Here's my fun take on the Elder Scrolls. I suppose. Chapter 1. Its short. Short-ish. For me. Concise, I am not. 
> 
> Man I love all of the Companion so much... They're really great. The best. Especially Torvar. I don't say it enough, but he cracks me up. He's definitely not in this chapter, but DANG. What a fun guy.

Hunting. It was one of the few things in the world of Tamriel that made sense. Simple. Straight-forward. Completely unalike from the politics and the wars that currently plagued Skyrim of late. Hunting and killing came naturally to Farkas. He had been raised under the vast roof of Jorrvaskr. There was little else that he could remember of his youth. Only the blurry ideas that were his childhood, running around and growing with the Companions in Whiterun. His mind wasn’t the steel trap for details that have long since been relevant like his brother’s mind was. That never bothered him, though. He didn’t need to remember how young he was when he had first picked up a sword. All he needed to remember was how to use that sword.

His muscles remembered far better than his brain ever could, and and he put that talent to good use. The finely sharpened blade glinted as Farkas raised it skyward, the sun reflecting off of Eorlund Gray-Mane’s expert craftsmanship. With a sweep of his powerful forearms, the blade came down, slashing into the thigh of the giant that stood before him. The gargantuan humanoid creature let out a howl of pain and rage as it swung its club towards Farkas to beat him away. Farkas stepped backwards, out of the way of the devastating blow could crush a man’s bones to dust. His greatsword gave him an advantage in this fight, and for that he was grateful. Had he been forced to stand closer to the giant with a shorter blade, he may not have the chance to duck away from its attacks so easily.

A different man than Farkas may call this turn of events “lucky”. This particular hunt had been hand selected by Kodlak Whitemane himself for their newest member of the Companions, Ria. She was to prove her worth by taking down this rogue giant that had been stalking around the farmlands just outside of Whiterun for weeks now. Giants were a common sight in the tundra plains just outside of Whiterun’s walls, but they tended to keep mostly to themselves unless disturbed by unwary travelers or foolish warriors. This giant, however, had been harassing the local farmers and needed to be dealt with before it destroyed too much of the crops that Whiterun would be left with too little food to last through the winter. It was perhaps pure chance that Kodlak had asked both Aela and Farkas to accompany Ria on this hunt, as Farkas had simply been passing through the dining hall of Jorrvaskr to find his twin at the time. Farkas did not really believe in luck. It was too complicated a concept for the battlefield.

Luck or not, it was Farkas and his greatsword and Aela with her bow that had gone with Ria into battle, and it was Farkas that was bating the giant away from Severio Pelagia’s farm house and into the yard out front. The battle would be much easier without having to dodge fences and worry about the heavy wooden club doing any damage to buildings. Aela and Ria were close behind, ready to strike when the opportunity arose. 

When the giant had finally been drawn far enough away from human structures, Ria burst forward with her sword and shield raised. Her courage and eagerness to prove her worth in battle were inspiring. Farkas understood that she had wanted nothing more that to become one of the Companions since she was small, so she never missed an opportunity to seek out that goal. With a cry, she thrust her sword into the giant’s leg, plunging it halfway into its tough flesh. Weapons would often do little damage to the leathery tough hide of giants, but the Companions’ tools of battle were made of skyforge steel. Even then, it took a great amount of strength to deal that sort of blow to the beast. Unfortunately, it seemed that the strength of Ria’s arm and of her sword were too great. The blade had gone through the giant’s sinews and even into it’s bone, and it stuck there. Ria gave a single tug, but the blade did not dislodge. Aela raised her bow to the head of the giant and fired a single arrow, attempting to draw the giant’s attention as it wheeled around to stare at the now weaponless Ria. The arrow’s course seemed true. It hit its mark, right at the giant’s forehead, but then it bounced off, clattering against the stone fence beside the giant. Its skull thick, and Aela’s arrow had not hit dead on. All it had managed to do was give the giant a gash along its face, which the giant paid very little attention to. 

The huge man-like creature raised its massive, flat foot over Ria’s head and brought it down with enough strength to shake the very earth at their feet. Ria was faster. She had rolled out of the way at the last second and was already on her feet once again. The fire of determination had not faltered once from her eyes as she held her shield up once again and stared at her sword. Farkas understood that she was going to try to bash the blade loose from the leg of the giant. It was a good plan, he thought. It would definitely injure the leg even further, and perhaps prevent it from trying to crush the three of them with its feet. Aela noticed this as well. This time, when she drew her next arrow, she took her time. She slowed her breathing down and lined up her shot and waited. She was ready. Farkas took up his sword and moved towards Ria for cover, and the two of them rushed forward. 

The giant’s lips curled up and it bared its teeth at the two companions, roaring angrily at its foes. It lifted its club once again and brought it down upon the two smaller figures. The figures that should not have been giving it this much trouble. Farkas and Ria ducked towards the ground at the same time. Bracing the tip of his sword on the ground and the hilt against his armored shoulder, Farkas barely managed to block and deflect the giant’s club towards the earth while Ria crouched beneath him. He gritted his teeth in pain, but made no sound other than a grunt as pain shot through his shoulder joint from the mighty blow. Farkas knew that it was Eorlund’s work that had prevented the sword from slicing through his armor and cutting off his arm, but armor could not protect against force and momentum. His sword fell from his hand as his arm dangled limply at his side. He knew it wasn’t broken, just dislocated. Still, this injury was a sacrifice. He would not be able to wield his weapon with both hands now. His job was done. He had protected his shield-sister.

Completely uninjured by its attack, the giant raised its club once again. It moved faster than Farkas had anticipated it to. Perhaps it had somehow expected Farkas to block the attack. He would not be able to get out of the way this time. He then heard the sound of something cutting its way through the air. The battlesong of a singing string and a whistling arrow that landed like a single drumbeat into the eye socket of the giant. Aela’s second shot hit its mark perfectly. The giant howled and stumbled back, dropping its club to the ground. In a moment’s time, Ria jumped back into a sprint with her shield held steadily with both hands as she rammed her body into her lost sword and knocked it loose. The blade severed through more of the meaty flesh and the giant lost it’s balance. The ground shook once more with the weight of the giant, though this time as it fell to the ground upon its back. 

With the enemy unarmed and injured, Ria took up her sword and leapt dauntlessly onto the torso of the giant as it writhed in the dirt in anguish. Before it could knock her away, her sword painted a bright line of red across the giant’s throat in a single swift cut. The battle was over. They had won.

Aela smiled proudly at her charge and stepped forward to meet her shield-sister in congratulations, but she suddenly stopped. Her expression changed from gratification to one of confusion as she stared at the other end of the field. Farkas slowly inclined his head towards the place where her icy gaze was focused. There, leaning against the stone fence, was a young man with eyes blown wide in amazement. It was hard to say how long he had been standing to watch, but he had certainly seen the climax of the great battle and was impressed.

The traveler was clearly a Nord. He was tall, sturdily-built, and had golden hair that came down to his shoulders with a braid in the back for decoration. He had the high cheekbones and strong jaw associated with the people native to Skyrim, and Farkas supposed some might consider him handsome even. He wore the crude fur armor that could be associated with the more mountainous or northern regions of Skyrim. Armor was a questionable term for the garb, but what the furs lacked in protection against blades and arrows, it made up for tenfold in protection against the frigid winds and snows that sometimes plagued Skyrim year round. The furs were slightly damp towards the top, meaning he had just come out of the snow recently and the sun had not yet dried him. Judging by the road he was on, it was a safe bet to say that he had come from the mountains next to the small town of Riverwood, or perhaps even Helgen. The man seemed to see that he had been noticed, and he quickly stood up straight to walk down the fence to greet the three Companions.

“Well, that’s taken care of. No thanks to you.” Aela said shortly as she returned her bow to the sling at her back, directly addressing the stranger when he came close enough. The excited smile on his face quickly faded away as soon as he heard the harsh tone in Aela’s voice. He now looked concerned and confused.

“You didn't look like you needed help…” The man replied sheepishly, not meeting Aela’s critical gaze head on. 

“Certainly not. But a true warrior would have relished the opportunity to take on a giant.” Aela chastised him. Farkas knew the one thing that Aela had little patience for was weakness. She wouldn't bother scolding someone whom she thought helpless. Maybe she took the greatsword on the stranger’s back as a sign of potential. At the very least, he was some sort of fighter, and Aela seemed to believe he should he held to that standard. “That’s why I’m here with my Shield-Brothers.”

Growing more confused and intrigued by the moment, the stranger paused and ventured a glance at Aela once again, inclining his head slightly. “What is a Shield-Brother?”

That was strange. Farkas was under the impression that everyone in Skyrim had at least heard of the Companions. 

“An outsider, eh? Never heard of the Companions?” Aela asked the man, also surprised. The man shook his head slowly but “continued to listen with rapt attention. Aela seemed to relish the chance to be the one to spread the glory of their order, so she stood up straighter and spoke more warmly than before. “An order of warriors. We are brothers and sisters in honor. We show up to solve problems if the coin is good enough.”

The stranger seemed even more fascinated than before, and Farkas thought he saw a spark behind his deep blue eyes. “Can I join you?”

“Not for me to say.” Aela said simply. While the number of the Companions had dwindled of late, the standards were still as much the same as Farkas had recalled them being before. The life of a Companion, though glorious and honorable, was filled with dangers. They fought the battles that no one else would. Loss of life was not a foreign concept to any of the members of the group, so only the strong were allowed to ally themselves within the group. Vilkas also spoke of honor, sometimes. Usually when he was a few bottles of ale into a feast. Vilkas would claim that they were selective about the new recruits because of the long history that the Companions had. 4000 years. They simply could not allow the reputation of the Companions to be trounced and trawled through the mud by any unscrupulous lout they picked up off of the streets. Whatever that meant. Farkas did know what his brother had been saying, but in much simpler terms. If the Companions stood for anything at all, it was something more important than just simple mercenary work. 

“You’ll have to talk to Kodlak Whitemane up in Jorrvaskr. The old man’s got a good sense for people. He can look in your eyes and tell your worth.” Aela informed the stranger. It was both an instruction and a warning. The man didn’t seem to be deterred by the double meaning of Aela’s words. He did not know Kodlak Whitemane, one of the greatest warriors that Skyrim had known and the Harbinger of the Companions. Though he may be old, Kodlak was far from weak of mind or body. He still had the spirit enough to cause Jarl Balgruuf to hold his tongue in respect, or perhaps fear. 

The stranger nodded happily and turned towards the road once more, but he was swiftly stopped when Aela grabbed him by the upper arm and pulled him back. She stared deep into his eyes, silently communicating that this was not a task to take lightly. “If you go to him, good luck.”

Something in Aela’s voice must have touched the man’s heart, because he then hesitated. Aela released him from her grip and nodded towards Ria. Together, the two of them made their way back to Whiterun. Neither of them stopped to help Farkas, because they already knew that he would refuse their help if they did. He still had one good arm and two good legs. He could make the walk back to Jorrvaskr unaided, then receive treatment for his shoulder there. He bent down to pick up his sword with one arm and put it in its sheath. As he stood, he saw the stranger had not yet moved from his spot. He was watching Aela and Ria as they grew more and more distant, a strange expression on his face. There were many emotions roiling in his mind, but Farkas was not particularly gifted with words and could not offer himself as a confidant. Nor did he particularly want to. He found long conversations tiring. He did not want to leave the stranger on such a discouraging note, though. He had seen something in the stranger’s eyes before. His instincts told him that there was something more to this young man than what could be seen with the naked eye.

“You look strong. Come to Jorrvaskr and be a Companion.” Farkas nodded to the man, trying to be more encouraging that Aela had been. 

The stranger tore his gaze away from the road and looked at Farkas, surprised to be addressed after Aela had left. He then smiled politely, but not insincerely at Farkas. “Perhaps some other day. I have important business in Whiterun, and I shouldn’t let myself get sidetracked any longer than I already have.”

Farkas shrugged with one shoulder, his other causing him too much throbbing pain for him to want to move it at all. “Suit yourself. I’ll look for you there.” he said as he set off at his own pace back towards Whiterun and leaving the man to his thoughts.


End file.
